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01/27/2007 04:43:51 AM · #1 |
Hi Everyone
I am new to digital photography and bought a Canon 30D and a computer in December. Now the big question is, do I spend £500+ on Photoshop CS2 or a more sane £59 on Photoshop Elements 5. Many years ago I had Photoshop 3 (told you it was many years ago!) on my Mac for a DTP business I ran but I have no idea how Photoshop has changed and how good Elements is. Photography will only ever be my hobby and I genuinely feel I would not use CS to its full potential and at the moment feel quite confident that Elements will do everything I need it to do. But, as all of you, my learned dpc 'family', have FAR more experience and knowledge in digital photography, I would really appreciate your comments before I take the 'plunge'. |
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01/27/2007 05:14:25 AM · #2 |
I can't imagine NOT having Photoshop CS2, but then again I'm an addict.
If all you really plan to do with your camera is use it here & there as a hobby, and don't want to spend a lot of time in the editing, maybe you should have a look at Microsoft Digital Image Suite. It does a good job of image correcting / editing, in a very easy to use interface, and can do a lot of creative things such as calendars, cards, slide shows, dvd's, etc.
Just a thought. It doesn't have a learning curve that could take years like Photoshop, and is only around $50 |
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01/27/2007 05:36:27 AM · #3 |
Hi,
I'm very new here (first post!) but this is exactly the same dilemma I faced a few weeks ago.
For me the decision was made a bit easier because going from the prices on Adobe's site it's actually cheaper to buy Elements and then upgrade to "real" photoshop later than buying CS2 full price, although I'm not sure whether that holds with real life pricing. Either way the upgrade path is there so it's not as if getting Elements is a complete waste if you later discover you want the real thing.
In the end I went for Elements and I'm pretty pleased with it. No doubt if I were used to full Photoshop I'd find it limiting, but since I'm not I am quite happy with Elements for the time being. Yes, I find it slightly annoying that some features like B&W conversion via Channel Mixer and the Curves adjustment are hidden behind limiting UIs, but the features are there and you can usually get the effect you want. And the fact is Elements is aimed squarely at the likes of you and I - wanting to do more than point and shoot but not doing it for a living!
Finally, since CS3 appears to be in the works I suspect I will wait for that to come out before considering upgrading.
splidge
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01/27/2007 05:55:48 AM · #4 |
| Hi there, I am also a newbie facing the exact same thing. I have the free 30 day trial version of Photoshop Elements at the moment and I am feeling that even that is a bit daunting and that I am not using it to it's full potential. I think what I will do in the end is buy Photoshop Elements and spend the money that I would have spent on Photoshop CS2 on a better lense than the one I have. Perhaps if you tried the trial version for 30 days it may give you a better feeling of what you want from the software? //www.download.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements/3000-2192_4-10511144.html?tag=list - that is the download I am currently using although I have only got a couple of days to go on it!! |
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01/27/2007 06:20:57 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by Sweetlittlepixie:
Hi there, I am also a newbie facing the exact same thing. I have the free 30 day trial version of Photoshop Elements at the moment and I am feeling that even that is a bit daunting and that I am not using it to it's full potential. I think what I will do in the end is buy Photoshop Elements and spend the money that I would have spent on Photoshop CS2 on a better lense than the one I have. Perhaps if you tried the trial version for 30 days it may give you a better feeling of what you want from the software? //www.download.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements/3000-2192_4-10511144.html?tag=list - that is the download I am currently using although I have only got a couple of days to go on it!! |
Just a note: The link is for a download of PSElements 4.0. |
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01/27/2007 07:28:49 AM · #6 |
| If you can afford CS2, by all means get it. If not, Elements will do everything a hobby photog needs, in my opinion. |
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01/27/2007 07:41:26 AM · #7 |
I have struggled with CS2 for about a year now. I'm starting to get a handle on it, and sheer bloody mindness will keep me perserving with it.
Although Elements still has a reasonably steep learning curve , it is still a lot more user friendly then CS2. But it has enough automatic tasks to get you started as well as more complex tasks from Photoshop as your learning increases.
Now that you have a good camera, you will want (and need) to start playing with your shots. Although a little frustrating at first - you'll find you start to move along quite quickly. I think you would quickly outgrow the Microsoft Suite fairly quickly.
I read a very good review of Elements 5 recently. Elements 5 seems like a cracker ! They have added a lot of things from CS2 as well.
To help you on your way I highly recommend a quarterly magazine called "Better Photoshop Techniques" - Australian Edition (I've mentioned this magazine on this site before). It has a lot of detailed tips and projects - showing how to achieve them in both Photoshop and in Elements. A great resource.
If Splidge is correct (on pricing) it would be cheaper to get Elements now - do your learning and then upgrade to CS3 in a year or so if you feel limited.
Besides - Elements is still a Powerfull (god I hate that word)program and will do most things you want. Many people on this site use it (and even win ribbons).
The short version - get Elements 5.
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01/27/2007 02:26:11 PM · #8 |
| Thank you everyone for your excellent advise. This afternoon I managed to find trial downloads for both CS2 and Elements 5 on the Adobe website and will be spending the next day or two working on both to see which one I prefer. It does make sense though to go with Elements 5 and I'm 99% sure this is what I will do. My brain cells are already working overtime trying to remember all the settings on my camera as it is so CS2 might cause a 'system overload'! |
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01/28/2007 10:31:33 AM · #9 |
| Okay, I've decided! Elements 5 it's going to be! I bought a really cool book today called 'Photoshop Elements 5 for Digital Photographers' and it's got loads of tips and step by step instructions on how to do just about anything using Elements. I'll upgrade to CS3 if I ever 'outgrow' Elements, but for now, it's perfect. |
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